The Fall of the Dark
by nicoleamari
Summary: When a lightsaber thief meets her match in a young Jedi from the past, a strange passion is ignited in both of them. With the First Order hot on their trail, will she be able to save her Jedi Knight or will the galaxy once again be ruled by the Dark Side?
1. Chapter 1

**_Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to our Sun and is located in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, making it the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Ceres is the smallest of the bodies current classified as dwarf planets with a diameter of 950km._**

The lightsaber thief had long since shrouded herself in black by the time her doings were found out. She heard them conversing, softly at first then loudly as they neared her and the thief felt her heart rate pick up. They would not hear the thrum of her blood, she had ensured that much when she had laced her armour with tutaminis energy, therefore the Force merely coalesced around her, never truly settling, meaning she had almost no energy signature. The thief glanced towards the group of men, watching in glee as they waved their arms, to no avail, she would not be found. The lightsaber hidden within her bag was cool to the touch, Maz had guarded it for as long as the thief could remember, but it had always called to her, even when she was only visiting with her mother as a child.

She remembered the familiar hiss of her name, just her name and in a voice that sounded familiar, as though she had known it all her life. The voice was almost definitely male and it made her feel odd, as though there was another presence in her vicinity. But she had never seen anyone there. Then, several nights ago, she had made her decision. The lightsaber was tempting, too tempting and though she was not as strong as the Jedi with the Force, her abilities fluctuated as she grew. It was not until she had been able to lift several heavy objects into the air that she had realised how Force-sensitive she was. She had hidden it for nearly 2 years, she had trained with one of the old monks and though she would probably not be capable of using said lightsaber, she was trained with a staff and twin blades.

They passed by her, unbeknownst to them the girl crouched in the shadows, and as she stood, slowly, her eyes flicking from side to side, before she slipped out of the temple. The wind caught at her cloak, dragging her hood back and tugging her dark waves free from their braid as she vanished into the darkness. The sound of mud and stones being disturbed underfoot was comforting to her, as long as it was isolated just to her, she was safe, but if she was being pursued, she would have to slip into the trees and that would take time, especially if she was going to have to wait them out. But when no other sound pierced the clear night, the thief slowed her pace a little, easing up and allowing herself to breathe.

Her ship, an old Gauntlet she'd found on the junkyard planet of Jakku a season ago, was hidden beneath the sparse branches she had found littering the ground and she had it on good authority that no one would be needing them urgently and had used them as a temporary cover for her dirt splattered ship. The engine hummed as she flicked the power on and grabbing the gear shift, the thief began to begin her get away. The planet she left behind she would not come back to in many seasons, but for now, she had to escape, the stolen lightsaber cold in her pack. She wondered if Luke Skywalker would miss it, but then again, he'd disappeared nearly 6 years ago. Hadn't done him much good had it? The ship roared into motion as she entered hyperspace, the planet glistening behind her. 

Two weeks later ...

The water of the river Kytos was running red with blood. The water churned sluggishly over the rocks, dark with the blood of the villagers and where it lapped against the shore, a red film coated the smooth stones and licked up rusted trails on the shrubbery surrounding the river. The children had long since deserted the icy water, leaving scattered shoes and garments of clothing in their wake, their frantic energy almost tangible. The smoke filling the sky from the sparser clumping of trees, where the village of Lithren had been, smelled like the pines coating the hillside and like the flesh of the people that had once inhabited the small town.

The Devaronese' soft, elongated vowels and clear accents were all that could be heard earlier that morning, it had been a market day the previous day and the carts were beginning to trundle back into the square, filled to bursting with fruits and vegetables from other systems. Now they lay in the cracks between the stones of the square, rotting and turned to a slick mush, an array of colours and scents, almost as though it was an odd form of art. The Stormtroopers had come swiftly, they had been unexpected and so, no one was prepared for a fight. Their weapons of heavy steel had been no match for the blasters and now, as Kylo Ren stared out over the burning village, he knew they were no match for his lightsaber either.

Bodies lay strewn in piles, missing limbs and burning slowly as the fire the 'troopers had lit in the square licked over the dead. Mothers, fathers, children, it made no difference. They were all dead now. Kylo Ren noted a slight movement then, the Force somewhere in the trees above the villages had moved just slightly. Not a Force user, but the air had shifted, someone was moving. He clicked open his 'saber, the familiar red lighting up his peripheral and he strode forward, cloak lapping at his ankles as he ignored a Stormtrooper's call. He slunk into the shadows, using the Force to cloak him and then he saw her.

Where the river Kytos branched into a stream that clung close to the trees and arched around the village in a wide circle, with the water lapping over one hand, knelt a Devaron girl, clad in indigo garments that set off the dark waves curling down her back. She hadn't heard him, hadn't turned nor did she seemed startled by the occurrences in the village, they were a fair half mile from the burning heaps but the girl should have been alerted at least to the massacre of her village, let alone his presence.

She didn't move until he got within three feet of her and the fingers on the ground seemed to sense him, as they stopped racing in an unrepeatable tattoo against the moist earth. "You killed them all." She spoke Basic in an accent he was not familiar with, but he found he was quite partial to. She turned and he felt the mask on his face become suddenly tight as he took in a large swallow of air and her features. She was small but not skinny as many women were instead she had muscle rippling up her arms and legs. He could tell that her breasts were bound beneath the tunic and that the muscle cording her shoulders was put to good use, she had a weapon strapped to her back. He

"You killed them all." She spoke Basic in an accent he was not familiar with, but he found he was quite partial to. She turned and he felt the mask on his face become suddenly tight as he took in a large swallow of air and her features. She was small but not skinny as many women were instead she had muscle rippling up her arms and legs. He could tell that her breasts were bound beneath the tunic and that the muscle cording her shoulders was put to good use, she had a weapon strapped to her back. He

"You killed them all." She spoke Basic in an accent he was not familiar with, but he found he was quite partial to. She turned and he felt the mask on his face become suddenly tight as he took in a large swallow of air and her features. She was small but not skinny as many women were instead she had muscle rippling up her arms and legs. He could tell that her breasts were bound beneath the tunic and that the muscle cording her shoulders was put to good use, she had a weapon strapped to her back. He recognised the slight tension of her arms and the way her back had a certain stiffness at the curve of her spine.

He stepped towards her, watching as she was clearly intimidated, not by him as much as his presence, leaning back slightly to get away from him and he let his hands drift to her hips. The flicker of her eyes down sealed her fate, she was definitely in possession of a weapon. He grasped the holster of the gun and pulled it free from the folds of her tunic, watching as her eyes flashed furiously.

"You gave yourself away. Now, tell me. Why do you not flee, or at least help the villagers that I ordered to be killed. You would have died among them, but I am quite sure you would have been a fair fight, even for me. Why do you linger?" The girl raised her chin but said nothing and he was growing tired of the stoic nature to the small female. He raised his hand, startling her and began to use the Force.

At first, he was gentle, but by the look on her face and the way her features twisted in confusion and fear, he knew she had not come up against many who could use the Force, nor actually had it used on her. He began to pull at her mind, pushing through the threads of thought and then he began to trace the lengths of her very soul to find what exactly he was looking for. When he pulled out of her head, she sagged in his hold and he realised he had exhausted her with his efforts. But he now had a name, a birthplace and what she was doing here.

Gripping her tightly, not even because he was afraid she would take it upon herself to evade him, but because he reckoned that she was ready to sleep where she stood, he began to walk back towards his ship. The Stormtroopers raised their weapons when they spotted their leader striding towards them, leading the only survivor of the attack. The girl, Rhiannon, or as she was called, Rio, stumbled several times on the journey to the ship and nearly walked straight into Kylo Ren's back when he stopped in front of a Stormtrooper, handing her weapon to the 'trooper before he turned to her and held out a hand.

He didn't miss the way she flinched away from his fingers as he began to shut her brain down. She slipped into sleep remarkably easily and with a gentle sigh, alerting him to the very moment she crumpled to the ground. He caught her, folding the small body into his arms and with that, he strode aboard the ship. Captain Phasma, his favoured commanding officer, hurried over as dignified as she dared around Kylo Ren and saluted.

"Sir, you have orders from General Hux to report immediately to base, they have located a piece of the map to Skywalker." On a typical day, Kylo Ren would have dismissed any orders from the man he deemed his inferior, but this sparked his interest, finally, they were one step closer to the map than the Rebellion. Beneath the mask, Kylo Ren's face twisted into an ugly sneer at the thought of the Rebellion and his eyes flicked to the girl he had placed on the seats beside him, nowhere in her head said she had declared her stance, whether it be First Order or the Resistance.

He hesitated to look but before very long his curiosity took a firm grip and he began to dig further into the girl's head. Words, meaningless to him, flickered through her subconscious, something about light and then he found it, the reason she was on Devaron. He stared further into her mind, witnessing Rio dressed in the garb of a Jedi as she slipped from a temple, unseen and untraceable. She was no Jedi, but in her fingers she gripped something as familiar to Kylo as his own 'saber. Luke Skywalker's lightsaber.

Kylo's eyes widened as he delved deeper and watched as Rio landed on Devaron, intent on finding the Jedi temple there, but an asteroid had clipped her ship, taking out the positioning device so she had landed several hundred miles from her intended point. He watched her fury and saw the way she ignited the lightsaber, staring down at it with a look of hatred and fury glinting in her gaze. There was something else. She hadn't found Luke Skywalker's saber on her own. There had been a voice, calling to her and as Kylo Ren pressed deeper, he discovered that she had been led to the 'saber. Either a powerful Jedi had left a soul trace for her or she had some sort of connection with the dead because Kylo Ren recognised his grandfather's voice from the weapon they were currently developing.

Anakin Skywalker had led her to Luke's 'saber, he had shown her the path. In the light of their current weapon development, this worried Kylo Ren more than he dared to admit to himself. They had been successful in transplanting the DNA to the humanoid creature one of the labs had created and slowly but surely, they were bringing Anakin Skywalker in his teen years back to life. It had been a difficult process, the transaction of DNA had not been clean and aligning so many of the genes had been time-consuming, but the project was nearly complete, they were for the moment still working on his motor skills and working on the neurological side, Kylo Ren avoided the labs like it was diseased after he had seen some of the things they produced.

They reached the First Order base and once the docking was complete, he picked up the girl and headed down to the control center, in search of General Hux. By the time he arrived, Rio had come to consciousness and when he set her on her feet, she stumbled once so when they arrived, he was still gripping her arm. "What's this? Ren found himself a new plaything?" There was no

"What's this? Ren found himself a new plaything?" There was no humor in the general's voice and Rio, who was preoccupied trying to free herself from his grasp, stilled immediately.

"I found her on Devaron. She knows the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. She had it in her possession merely days ago." This time, Rio's eyes did not betray her, they remained glued to the red-haired general, staring at him in shock. Kylo Ren did not have enough patience to wonder why and dug slightly into her head, startling the girl who, to Kylo's surprise, slammed walls down on his probing, eyes filling with fury. "I'm not telling you where it is." She snapped, eyes darkening with a cold

"I'm not telling you where it is." She snapped, eyes darkening with a cold humor, he wondered in whose direction it was being aimed.

Hux stared at the girl for a long moment. "Rio, please. Where is the

"Rio, please. Where is the saber?" Rio and Kylo Ren stiffened at the same time. Kylo Ren did not remember telling Hux the girl's name and the way Rio stiffened, showed she had recognised that too. "No." She said, and there was a sharpness underlying her tone. Hux looked to want to question her further but her eyes danced with fury. "What do you intend to do with me here?" She asked, her tone bored but there was a worry in her aura. Kylo Ren and Hux exchanged a look. "If you tell us where the

"No." She said, and there was a sharpness underlying her tone. Hux looked to want to question her further but her eyes danced with fury.

"What do you intend to do with me here?" She asked, her tone bored but there was a worry in her aura. Kylo Ren and Hux exchanged a look.

"If you tell us where the saber is, we will let you go free." Kylo Ren lied easily and Hux shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable with the lie. Instead of a reply, the girl pressed long fingers to Kylo's mask, sending a flush of heat across it and making the energy levels soar.

He stiffened and then she pulled her fingers into a fist.

"You're lying." She stated coldly. Kylo Ren nodded. "Yes. I am. You will be killed." Rio rolled her eyes, "Then I'm not telling you." He wanted to groan, she was acting like a child, quite a beautiful, deadly child but like one no the less. She folded her arms then and he watched her face closely, she was scared, Kylo Ren could tell that and even Hux was able to perceive the frightened energy she was giving off. He motioned to two of the lingering Stormtroopers, "Take her to Interrogation Room 04 and guard the door. Do not open for anyone except myself or General Hux." The 'troopers grasped Rio's upper arms but she did not struggle as she was marched away, her head whipping to catch his eyes, a dangerous glint to the golden of hers and the beginning of a smirk before she vanished around the corner.

"Yes. I am. You will be killed." Rio rolled her eyes."Then I'm not telling you." He wanted to groan, she was acting like a child, quite a beautiful, deadly child but like one no the less. She folded her arms then and he watched her face closely, she was scared, Kylo Ren could tell that and even Hux was able to perceive the frightened energy she was giving off. He motioned to two of the lingering Stormtroopers, "Take her to Interrogation Room 04 and guard the door. Do not open for anyone except myself or General Hux." The 'troopers grasped Rio's upper arms but she did not struggle as she was marched away, her head whipping to catch his eyes, a dangerous glint to the golden of hers and the beginning of a smirk before she vanished around the corner.

"Then I'm not telling you." He wanted to groan, she was acting like a child, quite a beautiful, deadly child but like one no the less. She folded her arms then and he watched her face closely, she was scared, Kylo Ren could tell that and even Hux was able to perceive the frightened energy she was giving off. He motioned to two of the lingering Stormtroopers.

"Take her to Interrogation Room 04 and guard the door. Do not open for anyone except myself or General Hux." The 'troopers grasped Rio's upper arms but she did not struggle as she was marched away, her head whipping to catch his eyes, a dangerous glint to the golden of hers and the beginning of a smirk before she vanished around the corner.


	2. Chapter 2

The ship moved slowly enough that Rio barely noticed when they docked, she had been confined to the small room Kylo had shown her earlier and hadn't been able to leave. She knew they were torturing Poe, she could hear his screams from her quarters, but the door was locked tightly and though she burned to use the 'saber at her hip, she knew it would be little use if she was fighting Stormtroopers alone. Staring up at the ceiling from the small bunk, Rio let her palms rise and fall in drumming beat, pondering an escape route. When the door to the room slid open, Rio sat up fast, immediately becoming dizzy but as she stared at the black cloaked figure in front of her, she tightened her lips.

Kylo Ren beckoned her forward with a mere. "Come." And she walked to his side, eyes narrowed.

"I have something to show you, it may shed some light on the reason why you found the lightsaber so easily." Her brows arched upwards but she kept her mouth shut as he swept away, indicating for her to follow him. She did, though she found it continually hard to keep up with his strides, as he walked quickly past clumps of Stormtroopers and into a large, bright corridor in which many doors lined. He swept into one with a red flashing sign over it and Rio followed him in, reading the red print as she did - NO ENTRY – AUTHORISED PERSONEL ONLY - Rio glanced around the room, where droids, humans and other creatures burbled. This was a lab, she realised and as she neared the tank they were surrounding, she realised just what kind of facility this was.

"You're bringing dead people back to life?" Her voice exploded and the lab technicians all looked at her, frightened by the ferocity of her voice. Kylo Ren watched her, the mask hiding his glare.

"Do you know exactly who this is?" She peered at the young man, he was indeed beautiful, with a mop of brown hair and quite pretty bone structure. She examined his body briefly, he was clothed, which she was both glad and annoyed about as the man seemed to be a fine specimen. Rio tightened her lips at the thoughts plaguing her mind, seven suns it was improper and she knew it.

"No, I don't believe I've met him." Kylo Ren seemed almost smug when she answered him.

"Of course you haven't, he died quite a while ago. Well, this form at least."

At her inquiring look, he continued, it seemed this was a subject he liked to speak about.

"This is my grandfather, when he was my age. We found some of his preserved DNA, crystallized in magma from the volcano in that he became Darth Vader. This is Darth Vader before he was Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker was a talented Jedi and it took quite a while for them to rewire the Force sensitivity before we were sure he was the same. He won't have any memories, nor will he know any other world than the sleep stasis he's been in. But he'll need guidance, a friend even. That's where I believe you would be most poignant. You seem to radiate an aura of warmth, it's quite discerning."

Rio realised he was complimenting her and raised an eyebrow.

"Flattery will always get you far Kylo Ren. When are you bringing him out, or in?" Kylo Ren looked at the woman who seemed to be in charge of the lab, a tall black haired woman with white teeth and dark skin.

"We're ready when you are sir." Kylo Ren nodded.

"Stand back." Rio allowed him to move her back as they began to fire up the tank and ducked her head down as air blasted her face. It was another few minutes until one of the techs cleared her throat.

"Is he stable?" There was a loud sound and Rio raised her arms just in time to see the now very awake, and very angry tank guy hurled himself at one of the technicians. Kylo Ren reached for his 'saber and Rio glared at him.

"No!" Taking several steps forward, as though she was approaching a startled bird, Rio raised her hands.

"Hey, hey! Look at me please." The green eyes were filled with madness as they met Rio's blue ones, he was trembling slightly but she had captured his attention. Rio smiled, making sure her teeth weren't visible as it was in fact a sign of aggression and he didn't need to feel threatened.

"Hello." She said quietly, dipping her shoulders a little to appear submissive, knowing it would relax him. The techs and Kylo Ren all watched silently, none of them moved to intercept or to help, but no matter, Rio realised that is she got Anakin Skywalker on her side, she would be better off than letting the First Order pit him against her.

"I'm Rhiannon Meerene, but I'm called Rio. You're aboard the First Order's fleet and the man in black is Kylo Ren. He won't hurt you, though he may look threatening. Can you remember anything?" The boy, if she could call him that, looked confused and almost vulnerable for a few heartbeats before he swallowed.

"I'm Anakin, Anakin Skywalker. I can't remember how I got here, but I know I'm a Jedi-" He broke off, looking around. "My master, he's not here is he?" Rio glanced at Kylo Ren, that was the extent of which she could fill him in.

"You're not in the time you left. It's been quite a long time, but you were imprisoned in magma, from a volcano and it preserved you until one of my men found you, then we managed to bring you back." Rio interrupted Kylo Ren's droning speech quickly, sensing that Anakin may be a little too volatile to start mentioning what had happened, but at this point, she realised he may need to be saved from himself.

"They say that your memory was lost but you're alive now and that's all that matters." Anakin looked towards her and she smiled gently, allowing it to reach to her eyes and hoping it comforted him a little bit. She couldn't believe Kylo Ren trusted her to be here, she could blurt out the truth and compromise the whole operation but no, it seemed like Kylo Ren trusted that she would keep her mouth shut. "Anakin, can I call you that?" Kylo Ren asked cautiously and Rio caught herself from looking surprised as she heard something like manners roll off of Kylo Ren's tongue.

"Anakin, can I call you that?" Kylo Ren asked cautiously and Rio caught herself from looking surprised as she heard something like manners roll off of Kylo Ren's tongue.

"Skywalker is fine." Anakin muttered and Rio made a face at the floor before she realised that he could see her, and he had, judging by the way he smirked just a little when she did. "Skywalker." Kylo began, glancing in Rio's direction.

"Rhiannon Meerene is an experienced fighter but the reason she is here at the moment-" Rio interrupted him. "I don't actually have a choice to whether I'm here or not." Kylo Ren's fingers clenched and he resumed talking as though she had never opened her mouth. "Rio is here to guide you in this environment. She will be a companion to you as she is one of the few on this ship that

"I don't actually have a choice to whether I'm here or not." Kylo Ren's fingers clenched and he resumed talking as though she had never opened her mouth. "Rio is here to guide you in this environment. She will be a companion to you as she is one of the few on this ship that

"Rio is here to guide you in this environment. She will be a companion to you as she is one of the few on this ship that do not belong, but have a high level of empathy and she will be in a way, your mentor, as you will be hers, you will teach her to control her power and she will teach you about the life you have arrived in." Kylo made ushering gestures with his palms. "

"Meerene, I know how much you'll hate it, but you're on babysitting duty. I'll come to escort you to dinner. I need you to keep an eye on him." Rio glared at him.

"What do I get out of all of this?" Kylo Ren didn't look at her.

"I let you live and I let your pilot rest until I see that he is fit enough to continue answering our questions." Rio made a strangled sound, without thought she dove for him, only for cold fingers to wrap around her wrist. Rio glanced in surprise at Anakin Skywalker, who was watching Kylo stride ahead of them with an odd look on his face. "He holds a lightsaber, yet you are the more powerful, but I can barely detect your '

"He holds a lightsaber, yet you are the more powerful, but I can barely detect your 'saber. Where do you hide it?" Rio shushed him, exuding a surprised stare from Anakin before they reached the quarters she recognised as her own. Kylo Ren was already in there, pressing buttons to make another bed slide out on the opposite side of the room. He swept past them, closing the door behind them and Rio glared briefly at the door.

"How do you know I have a lightsaber on me? Kylo couldn't sense it but you, you're different. You feel different. The Force around you is odd, distorted even." Rio didn't want to tell him, but she knew it was to do with him being hardwired for the old Anakin's Force sensitivity, she also had a bad feeling about his memories. One way or another, they would come back to him. She wondered briefly if she could trigger them but then settled on another idea. She would tell him his story, but not as he knew it. Rio smiled briefly to herself before she realised if Kylo heard this plan he would probably kill her. But Rio couldn't bring herself to care. When she escaped from this ship, she would be taking Anakin Skywalker with her, whether they disappeared into the galaxy or whether she took him to help the rebels, she knew she wouldn't be leaving the vulnerable looking boy behind her.

When Kylo Ren reopened the door, Anakin Skywalker and Rio Meerene were both sitting cross legged on the floor of their shared quarters, several objects spinning above their heads. Kylo watched in awe of the two, they were completely concentrated until he cleared his throat. Several items dropped onto the floor, but the ones surrounding Rio lowered gently as she stood.

"Kylo Ren." She greeted.

"How is my Poe?" Kylo Ren nodded in greeting. "He's alive." Rio clapped her hands briefly. "Good. Dinner time already?"

"He's alive." Rio clapped her hands briefly. "Good. Dinner time already?"

"Good. Dinner time already?" Kylo nodded. "Do either of you need to change garments before dinner?" Rio grumbled quietly, "Do you have anything indigo? I think it suits me more."

"Do either of you need to change garments before dinner?" Rio grumbled quietly. "Do you have anything indigo? I think it suits me more."

"Do you have anything indigo? I think it suits me more." Kylo tutted quietly and opened the same chamber her had opened earlier and swept through it.

The dark purple dress would nearly reached her ankles, apart from the slits running to knee height on both sides. It would fit her, she hoped, and though it was not the most beautiful thing she could wear, it was her colour and was very suitable. Though she wasn't sure if dinner was a more formal event, as a female, Rio made it her requirement to outshine all others in the room, men, women, it didn't matter. Rio liked attention, she was a warrior but a princess in her own mind. She began to change, not minding Kylo or Anakin's wandering eyes, she was used to getting changed in front of people and nudity never had bothered her, her mother was a healer and she was used to naked bodies.

"Ready?" Kylo Ren asked her before he looked at Anakin.

"Skywalker, you stay close to her. Don't speak to anyone other than her unless it's myself." Rio caught up with Kylo Ren.

"What can he eat? Is he okay to eat normal food or should you put him on a diet?" Kylo Ren observed her.

"The techs said he would be fine with food, though you need to make sure he keeps himself hydrated." Rio raised her eyes towards the ceiling before she dropped back to a lonely looking Anakin's side. Kylo heard her talking to him and wondered how she was so at ease talking to one of the biggest threats in the galaxies history. Granted, he was not dangerous at the current moment, but Rio also seemed quite protective of Anakin, who she pushed behind her when stares were turned his way. Maybe the lightsaber thief was not as tricky as she seemed.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sirius, the Dog Star. The constellation Canis Major contains the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, a blue-white star 8.16 light distant and radiating more than 20 times the energy of our own sun._

Anakin couldn't remember a time that he felt this out of touch. Actually, he couldn't remember any time at all before he woke up to the pretty pale eyed girl and the dark masked man. Now, he remained at Rio's side, she was in charge of him it seemed and though he did not favour the masked man, he decidedly liked the girl. She was strange, hiding the power he had managed to coax out of her when she asked him to practise with her. She was strong with the Force but she hid it so well even the masked one barely sensed the tip of her power. The lightsaber she had given him was in a case the felt like liquid, she was unsure who it belonged to but it definitely wasn't hers. She had left a place for him in the dining room and he watched as, without looking, she placed items of food onto a tray and it floated over to her, sliding down in front of her.

He packed his own tray with the oddly coloured fruit and the sweet smelling sponge before he walked to her side. She was picking at her food but when he sat down beside her, Rio smiled at him. It was odd, he thought he knew her from somewhere, but that was impossible. He could barely remember this morning, let alone someone from his past but this girl, she seemed to have an odd familiarity about her. "Where do you come from?" He asked her and Rio's mouth quirked, "I was born on Jakku, my sister and I lived there alone for quite some years, she refused to leave but I had my reasons. As you know. I need to get back her." She made eye contact with him briefly. "Anakin, can I trust you?" She asked him, as though he would know the answer. "Yes." He told her, he wanted her to trust him, he wanted to trust her as well and so far, she seemed like someone he could rely on indefinitely.

It was a moment before she looked up at him, blue eyes calculating. Then he felt it, her presence in his mind. "Anakin, we are not safe here. Kylo Ren means to unleash you onto the side of Light but I fight for the Light side and as soon as I have the opportunity, I'm getting out of here with the pilot they have in lock up. Will you come with me? Or will you stay?" Anakin was silent for a moment before he answered her, "I will go with you." Rio smirked, tipping her drink back and he watched her swallow before she held out a hand to him. "Come on. I need to teach you something." He followed her from the dining room, keeping close to her as she walked quickly, she moved at a swift pace. Entering a large room, he glanced around to find she was yanking things towards them.

"Your mind is open, Kylo Ren can easily take your thoughts. You need to have barriers between him and your thoughts. Imagine you have got a wall in your head, guarding your mind. It doesn't matter about passing thoughts, it matters if he can see your innermost thoughts. I don't know how much he trusts me with you but I'm quite disposable for him but you, you're not. I need to tell you something before you find out and panic. I need you to stay calm and I need you to promise me you won't do anything rash." Anakin eyed, wondering why her voice was suddenly serious and her face no longer held a hint of mischief. "Anakin, you're not who you think you are. You've forgotten your old life and I don't know if Kylo Ren is responsible for that or not but I need you to know the truth before someone tells you and ruins you."

"There was a prophecy about a young Jedi saviour during the times of the Sith over 50 years ago. The Jedi, Obi Wan Kenobi and his master were on Naboo with the Queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala when they found a young slave boy. His name was Anakin Skywalker." Anakin froze, staring at her with widened eyes. She nodded at him solemnly. "Yes, you are from the past. I'll get to that okay but you have to listen to all the story." Anakin nodded before he held out his hand to her. She took it, squeezing his fingers in her briefly. "He became a Jedi and Obi Wan trained him. In time, he grew to be a fantastic Jedi and even took on the Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. He also was in love with Padme though Jedi are not allowed to marry, the two were married in secret. They were captured after going to Anakin's home planet and then the rest of the Jedi came to save them from the Clone army but his arm was cut off, explaining this." She tapped her fingers gently across his metal arm.

"Anakin beheaded the Sith Count Dooku not long after and Padme revealed she was with child to him and since then, Anakin had visions of her dying in childbirth, but he has the power to stop this. Chancellor Palpatine, lies and says he has the power to prevent her death if Anakin join the Dark Side. Anakin does so and then is appointed as Palpatine's new apprentice, Darth Vader. Palpatine orders all the clones to kill the Jedi, Obi Wan and Yoda are the only to survive. Darth Vader kills all of the children and Jedi at their temple. Palpatine declares to the Senate that the Jedi tried to kill him, and in turn he is reforming the Senate into an Empire and declares himself Emperor. Obi Wan finds out Anakin is on the Dark Side, tells Padme, then follows her to him, where he fights and defeats him, cutting off his other arm, and both of his legs. The Emperor saves Vader. Padme, after being almost choked to death, dies from childbirth and the twins, Luke and Leia are separated to protect them."

"Years later, Darth Vader kidnaps Princess Leia Organa. Two droids from her ship escape with information on how to destroy the evil empire's space station and land on the planet, and make their way to Luke Skywalker. Luke finds the message and meets up with Obi Wan Kenobi, who travel with smuggler Han Solo to the planet Alderaan, home planet of Leia. On the way, Obi Wan tells Luke that he has the power of the Jedi, called the Force within him. He begins to train this power. However, the Empire has destroyed the planet with their space station, the Death Star. The team eventually frees Leia from prison in the death Star, but Darth Vader kills Obi Wan Kenobi in the process. After escaping, Han, Luke, and Leia join the Rebel Alliance and a small squadron of fighters led by Luke are able to destroy the death Star via a miniscule weakness." Anakin stared at her, enraptured not only by the story but also her way of telling such a sad story.

"The Empire then was chasing down and locating the Rebel Alliance, and they are hiding on frozen planet Hoth. Luke, Han, and Leia are all on Hoth. Luke gets lost in the snow and a vision of Obi Wan in a blizzard tells Luke to visit a Jedi master named Yoda. A probe droid from the Empire finds the base, and Darth Vader comes and destroys it. Han and Leia escape to Cloud City to find refuge with Han's friend Lando, and Luke travels to see Yoda and begins training, but leaves early because he senses that Vader catches up with Han and Leia... who then freezes Han in a cryogenic carbonite. Luke catches them and has a lightsaber battle with Vader, who cuts off Luke's hand after revealing that he is actually Luke's father. Luke escapes and he and Lando rejoin the Rebel Alliance who give Luke a mechanical cyborg hand. With Han Solo still frozen in carbonite but has been brought to Jabba the Hut, a gangster on Tattooine."

"Leia tries to save him but is captured and made a slave in the process. Luke shows up and after letting himself be captured, saves all of them in the process, with Lando. Luke then travels to Yoda one last time to finish training. Yoda dies, but confirms that Vader was telling the truth, and Obi Wan's spirit reveals that he must confront Vader to become a Jedi. He also tells him that Leia is his twin sister. The Empire has begun building a second death Star, which is functional. Luke fights Vader a second time as Vader's master, The Emperor watches, and succumbs to his anger, and tries to kill Vader, but realises he is becoming evil and spares him. The Emperor in turn begins killing Luke with lightning from his hands, and Vader kills the Emperor to save Luke. Vader dies, the second death Star is destroyed by a squad of ships led by Lando, and everyone celebrates. Vader's evil is gone and he becomes Anakin Skywalker, shown in spirit with Obi Wan and Yoda in celebration of the destruction of the dark side."

Anakin stared at her for a moment before he spoke, "I have children?" Rio shrugged. "Not really you but yes, Anakin Skywalker did have children. I don't want you to allow any of this to control you, you have to let your own fate take control. Now come on, I promised I would show you how to defend your mind."


	4. Chapter 4

_The planet Jupiter is the fifth planet out from the Sun, and is two and a half times more massive than all the other planets in the solar system combined. It is made primarily of gases and is therefore known as a "gas giant"._

* * *

Rio and Anakin were moving, swiftly. Well, Rio was. It was all Anakin could do to keep up with her long strides and when her eyes found him, he noticed she was alight with a mischievous air, her blue eyes glinting and he wondered how she found this all so entertaining, moving at such a pace that Anakin had to jog though she looked like even curled milk couldn't ruin her mood. Snatching his hand in her own, she yanked him sideways into a narrow room and then he felt her freeze.

"You- from the village." Then Anakin stepped around her, spotting one of those that she called Stormtroopers, though he no mask and he was aiding a dark haired man down from a what looked to be a torture contraption of sorts. Rio moved to his side quickly, not questioning the presence of the Stormtrooper as she touched the man's face, muttering a name as she did. Poe. Anakin felt something in his belly coil but he couldn't quite place it though the feeling faded when she stepped away from Poe and moved back towards Anakin.

"Mask on. We need to go, Anakin, help me divert their minds, so we are but invisible." Anakin paused, remembering the lesson she had given him the day previous, they had meditated for a while and then she had attempted to push into his head. She had actually succeeded, many times and though now he could hardly remember why, it had an important lesson. Recognising a threat. She had distorted his vision first, the most obvious of invasions but she had then become more and more subtle until he had barely realised she had penetrated his mind until she had blinded him. He learned things about her too, she was Force sensitive though she kept it hidden and her uncle had been one of those who had rescued plans to something called the Deathstar, she had never known him as she had been born the year after the final Deathstar, as she called it, had exploded. She had been taken in by his apparent son, who had trained her secretly in the art of the Jedi before he had told her to flee, as one of his students had gone rogue. Apparently that same student was now the masked man, Kylo Ren, who in Rio's words, idolised Anakin.

She hadn't delved too much into her life, only that she'd been on the run for a long time and that she had come to hate the First Order with a passion though Anakin was not sure on why, he knew her hatred ran deep. His eyes flashed across the expanse of the bay, several ships that Rio called Tie-Fighters were apparently locked into the bay and that was what they were trying to get away in.

"Get ready." Rio snapped out, shoving Poe into one of the Tie-Fighters and then she yanked a slightly distracted Anakin through too, before he allowed the illusion to drop. She closed the hatch, nodding at the Stormtrooper to take the guns.

"Get us outta here Dameron," Rio said, pushing Anakin back again slightly so he could loop his hands through the grips, they were probably there to keep people from being thrown around and he realised he wouldn't have even realised they were there without her showing him. She smirked briefly at him, resting her legs on him as she pressed her back against where Poe sat and she banged lightly on it.

"Let's move," The ship jolted and Anakin winced as the ship shuddered free, Rio leaning over into the cockpit to do something, he wasn't sure but then, with a sharp jerk they screamed free. Anakin near slammed his palms over his ears as they did, the loud screech of the so-called TieFighter was deafening and he flinched when it first started to roar through his ears. Rio, slipping back to sit practically on top of him, sniggered quietly and immediately after her presence touched him, he felt the noise quieten into a soft hum.

"You have to learn to block it out, it's not hard it will just take practise," Rio said quietly, squeezing his hand gently and he could hear her heartbeat then, a steady thrum and he raised his eyebrows at her. They were escaping so why was she so worried? The shot that narrowly missed them alerted him as to why as Rio slammed a fist again where the Stormtrooper sat.

"Oi, engage their cannons or they'll knock us out of the sky!" She yelled then moved to speak with Poe again, leaving Anakin to peer into where the Stormtrooper sat. He had dark skin and eyes and Anakin felt there was a kindness to him, a gentleness that he liked, it was similar to Rio's aura and Anakin wanted to trust the Stormtrooper almost instantly.

"What's your name?" He asked softly, trying not to startle the man, who half glanced at him before flinching back. His breathing quickened and Anakin frowned, unsure of why he made the man nervous.

"Sorry, sorry. You scared me. I don't have a name really, they called me FN 2187 at the base, that's the only name I've ever been given." Anakin paused, the allocated number the enemy had given him wouldn't do and though he hesitated for a brief moment, a new name came to him.

"Can we call you Finn? I mean, FN is your first two letters and that sounds enough like Finn-" He broke off, almost afraid the 'trooper hated the nickname but he shot him a quick smile as he fired, knocking out one set of the cannons Rio had berated him about.

"I like it! What do they call you two?" Finn asked as Rio poked her head back through in time to hear his new name.

"That's Anakin and I'm Rio. Be careful of that blaster!" She said, eyes fastening on a set of cannons Anakin only saw after Finn had hit them. He didn't know how Rio did it, she seemed to be the real sharpshooter and he wondered why she had left Finn in command. She seemed to hear the direction of his thoughts and shook her head at him, inciting that she would tell him another time and then something hit them, hard.

Rio woke when the half the ship that had survived entry had sunk quite deep into the sand in which it had slammed into. Groaning quietly, mostly at the harsh sun glancing off of her retinas, she did a quick head check, no one was in sight and she quickly assumed that they had either been thrown out upon landing or managed to escape when they had entered the atmosphere of the desert planet. Jakku, where she had been a few days prior with Kylo Ren. Her head pounded and she cringed at the size of the headache she was going to have once she was able to concentrate on her own mind. Slipping from the Tie, she rolled onto the hot sand and grimaced as it's heat burned her exposed limbs though the indigo dress and purple pants kept her relatively cool as she moved to her feet, finally able to pull the lightsaber free from its binding. The lightsaber was impossibly cool to the touch and though she held it confidently in her right hand, it felt wrong. She rolled it around her palm once more, flipping it over carelessly. There. The reverse grip was more comfortable and she was reminded of one of her war heroes, Ahsoka Tano, another user of the slightly unorthodox grip. Then Rio scanned the plains, she was the closest to the wreckage clearly and she reckoned staying with it meant more chance of any of the three men coming back for her.

It took Anakin till the sun had moved half an inch to appear on the opposite ridge. When he reached her, she practically collapsed into his arms, relief staining her features as he hugged her tightly.

"I hate sand." He mumbled into her shoulder and Rio laughed. They dug a small trench into the sand, just in view of the wrecked Tie and sat in that, away from the harsh light of the nearest sun. Anakin's eyes were on the 'saber in an instant, curious and a little bewildered, mostly by her grip, or in his opinion, therefore lack of. She laughed at him again and that was how Finn found them. He was toting Poe's jacket and Rio stiffened at the sight of the familiar leather, her eyes snapping to Finn's face as she checked him for injuries.

"I found it nearby, with the other half the cockpit, which was sinking too fast. It exploded before I could get inside." Finn's voice was lackluster, though Rio had her suspicions Poe would not have died in the crash, she did not remember much after they had been hit but she remembered he was the only one that wasn't flung around and practically knocked out, as Anakin had been. She didn't quite remember if it was Finn or herself that had slammed against the side of the ship but noting the dark bruising down her right side, she reckoned it was her.

"We need to find the nearest village." Finn said then, noting the tired look that had overcome Rio's features and Anakin sighed quietly, though not a single one of them complained as they began to trudge towards the next dune.


	5. Chapter 5

_Aries is one of the constellations of the zodiac. It is located in the northern celestial hemisphere between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. The name Aries is Latin for ram, and its symbol is, representing a ram's horns._

Rio decided Anakin was indeed correct in his hatred of sand. It was coarse and irritating and after almost a day of trekking through it, it had indeed gotten everywhere. Finn had shed the majority of his Stormtrooper garb as they made work of the dunes, sand crunching beneath their footsteps. Anakin's face was streaked with sweat and dirt, his fingernails rimmed with sand and fatigue scraped away at his moral. Rio seemed the most at ease with environment and Anakin watched her silently, she moved across the sand with a lightness that him nor Finn could attempt to match. The lightsaber hooked at her waist and he watched her fingers gliding over its handle ever so often, a reflex he believed she wasn't even aware of.

When they saw the first beginnings of the village, Rio let out a sigh of relief as they all began to move, faster and faster until they were almost sprinting. Rio slid down the last dune and Anakin watched her calf muscles strain as she hurried towards the village. Once they'd reached it, Finn hurried towards water, though Anakin was curious as to why Rio had not headed directly there, instead she was speaking sharply to a shop owner, gesturing and once Anakin had caught up with her, he understood. She was bargaining for water, though he noted she managed to produce a few coins of different currencies, which eventually the owner accepted and Finn, begrudgingly joined them, taking the flask of water gingerly and they all drank deeply from their own.

The girl that came flying at them took Rio mostly by surprise and Anakin saw her fingers move to the lightsaber at her belt swiftly before the girl launched herself at Finn, attacking him with a staff that froze in midair before it could do any damage. Rio, using the Force to knock the girl back slightly, advanced on her, blue eyes blazing as she took in the scavenger girl and then, the droid by her feet.

"BB-8!" Rio's voice filled with joy and the three stared at her, all in their own surprised manner as she knelt to the ground in front of the droid, placing a palm on it's slightly dirty surface as she swung around, eyes fastening on the scavenger girl, curiosity burning in her gaze as she stared at her.

"How did you come by this droid? It's a unique model so I know it belongs to my friend Poe Dameron. How did you come by it?" The girl looked startled at the quick assessment before she held out a quick hand.

"I found him, apparently he has a map to Luke Skywalker, do you know if this is true?" Rio stilled, Poe had not allowed her that knowledge, that in fact BB-8 was the one with the map stored inside him. She eyed BB-8 darkly for a moment before she took the girl's hand.

"Yes, to my knowledge, that is true. I'm Rhiannon Meerene and this is Anakin and Finn, we're all Resistance." She said, giving the boys looks before they nodded quickly and then she became away of the girl's eyes widening as she stared at Rio.

"Rhiannon Meerene? You're the one who's really good with the Force and is pretty much one of the most acclaimed fighters in the galaxy!" Rio's cheeked flushed with brief colour, she was a good fighter but she, like Luke, had disappeared pretty fast after becoming such a brilliant fighter. Of course she'd had the old Skywalker to thank for such training but now wasn't the time as suddenly, the familiar screech of TieFighters caught her attention.

"Time to go!" She yelled, yanking the girl's arm as the sound of blaster firing reached their ears. Stormtroopers hurried out onto the plains and Rio swore viciously, her eyes darting around in search of a ship, anything to get them out of there.

"How can we get off of this planet?" She yelled to the girl who grabbed her hand, hurrying in another direction.

"C'mon, we can outrun them in that quad-jumper!" The girl yelled as they ran full pelt towards said ship, BB-8 screaming alongside them. Rio noticed another ship sitting a little closer to them, one that had a familiar look to it and her eyes narrowed in on it.

"What about that one?" She called to the girl who shook her head sharply.

"That one's garbage!" The girl yelled, shaking her head in a clear no though Rio slowed her running as she saw the Tie above them begin firing on the quad-jumper. The explosion that followed made Rio cover her face as debris rained down on them, changing her path mid run to angle for the remaining ship.

"The garbage will have to do!" Rio called, Finn and Anakin had caught up with the girl and panting heavily, they all managed to reach the ship unharmed.

"Can you fly?" Rio asked, slipping into the cockpit, nodding at the gunner position below them to Finn, who scrambled after her and Rey nodded quickly. Rio glanced at Anakin briefly, she knew he was one of the best pilots known to the galaxy and she was one of the best sharpshooters of her time so quickly, she slipped from the cockpit and into the secondary firing deck, slipping into the position as she yelled back to the other two.

"Let's go! Anakin, you know what to do! BB-8 hold on and Finn, wait on my command!" She heard three resounding yeses and BB-8 made a snarky comment she barely disentangled, binary was not one of her favourite lessons though Luke had made her practise with a reprogrammed KX-series security droid whose hard drive had been discovered in General Ackbar's files and had apparently been one of the Rogue One crew but he had spoke Common with a certain level of sass Rio had appreciated so they had rarely bothered with binary and merely taken to making fun of the any and everyone they had encountered. Eventually Leia had picked up on it and joined in, to Luke's slight disapproval though he had never commented on it to Rio. She missed that damned droid and it's rude comments and though she was nervous to return to the Resistance after so long, she was looking forward to seeing K-2SO again.

Reverting back to the current galaxy, she noticed they had gotten off of the ground and were now moving at speed away from the TieFighters, there were two of them and they were fast approaching. She could hear Finn firing in the background as she lined up the first one, praying the guns on this thing were the ones she reckoned they were. On a whole, she really hoped this ship was the one she reckoned it was. She hadn't seen the Millennium Falcon for years but this hunk of rubble was way too similar to Han and Chewie's beloved ship and she would bet her last credits that this was that damned hunk of junk. The blast that fired from the ship was such that she had to lean back slightly, surprise flashing across her face. The TieFighter, however did not stand a chance and she heard several whoops as she shot it out of the sky.

"Finn take the other one out, it's outta my range." She called, hoping for once said Stormtrooper could actually hit something. They dropped in height, moving faster and faster as finally, she heard the last Tie explode behind them. Grinning, Rio slipped out of her seat, practically tripping over BB-8 to fling her arms around Finn and then Anakin, before the slender scavenger girl hugged her tightly and Rio smiled warmly down at the girl. She was a little shorter than her which made Rio smirk as she was usually the shortest in the pack and out of Anakin and Finn she was the shortest. Anakin himself was talking animatedly with Finn and Rio glanced back at the girl.

"You never told us your name." She said, a teasing note in her voice and the girl perked up quickly, she had been looking slightly lost as she eyed the trio.

"I'm Rey, and that was some amazing shooting from both of you." Rey said, smiling at them and Rio found herself eyeing the girl, she was certainly beautiful though she didn't seem to be concerned by her beauty, Rio however was always concerned about her appearance, she had been a Republican once and the pressure to look beautiful in such a society was enormous. Rio had flown under the radar for the most of it and she had been too young to have been greatly affected by it, instead she had been spotted during one of General Organa's many trips to the planet and been caught eavesdropping in a vent by Luke Skywalker. When she had used the Force to slam a door between them, he had realised her capabilities and immediately taken her on to be trained. Rio paused then as she found herself searching through the Force, sifting and she could feel it, a slight pressure that was not Anakin.

"You're a Force user!" Rio said, eyes lighting up as she stared at Rey in surprise, Rey in turn looked rather startled and Rio realised she may have not known. She felt Anakin tense and he too stared at Rey in confusion before he nodded quickly at Rio, indicating he felt the same she did.

"I- I didn't know, I can't remember my parents but I've never know, I've never used it before." Rey was staring at her hands as though she couldn't believe that such power could flow through her and Rey looked up at Rio, fear clinging to her voice. Rio stretched out a hand, grasping Rey's gently in her own and Rey relaxed slightly as Rio sent calming energy over the other girl.

"It's okay Rey, being a Force user, or indeed a Jedi, like Anakin here is a gift. I'm merely a Force user, though I wield a lightsaber, I was never trained fully as a Jedi, though I was trained for a time by Luke Skywalker. Anakin here was trained by several Jedi masters actually. Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi." Both Rey and Finn were staring at her in awe though Anakin did indeed look like he'd rather be anywhere else. Rio stilled, aware that he may not have wanted her to dive into his past like that.

"We can teach you, if you'd like. I can show you what I know and Anakin can show you what he remembers." She said, smiling at Rey who looked like a child awarded with sweets.

"If that was okay with you, I would love to be-" Rey was interrupted by a sudden noise and Rio realised none of them had been paying attention to the scanners or to their surroundings.

"Everyone hold on, we've been locked onto." It wasn't the First Order as far as she could tell but Finn's eyes had widened, whereas Anakin and Rey both seemed to be looking for somewhere to hide and eventually, they all managed to pile into a loose vent before the door was opened with a hiss. BB-8, who Rio had her knees propped on top of him, made a soft noise and Rio kicked him, glaring at the droid. Then a voice rang out overhead, one she couldn't have mistaken in any system.

"Chewie, we're home."


End file.
